Weekly Blog

Welcome to Venison's Weekly Blog! Here you will find advice, show reviews, thoughts and short articles by the Venison Team. We welcome your input comments and thoughts in return! ​Thanks for reading Venison Magazine!

Amber's interview with Jennifer Pettus was published in our Winter 2015 issue, where you can see more the intricate details of Pettus's embroidery mixed into a complex work of art made of various materials. Whatnot is up as part of Gathering: A Venison Magazine Retrospective, through August 31.

"I think the idea of grey areas or fluidity (not only in terms of art but gender, sexuality, politics, etc) is just recently being embraced. I love the idea that art is like a membrane where ideas are constantly seeping, shifting and changing and I think that’s what this new fiber-based mixed media work does very successfully." -- Jennifer Pettus, Winter 2015

Artist Statement:

The complication of life inspires me to use complicated combinations of materials and methods in my work. I create three dimensional shadowboxes, free form assemblages, and installations that defy categorization with calculated hodgepodge. I spend a lot of time “making the stuff to make the stuff,” re-purposing second-hand and throw-away materials with techniques like knitting, knotting, stitching, wrapping, staining, poking, gluing, and smashing. I use excessive texturing in conjunction with vibrant colors and curious objects to create a visual pull, asking the viewer to come closer than they might otherwise to a work of art. My hope is to use this material mishmash to keep the viewer engaged with clues to a certain complexity behind the familiar